Merry Month of May

Misty May Morn by John Henry Twachtman captures the essence of springtime. Its dissolved light and pastel palette evoke an ethereal landscape.

Twachtman painted the hemlock-lined pool on his Connecticut farm, capturing it at all times of day and in different seasons.

Unlike other artists, Twachtman lived in the country year-round: "I feel more and more contented with the isolation of country life … we are nearer to nature—I can see how necessary it is to live always in the country—at all seasons of the year."

Source: Joann Moser. American Impressionism: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (exhibition text, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1999).

Pictured: John Henry Twachtman, 1853–1902, Misty May Morn, 1899, oil, 25 1/8 x 30 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly.